Storage Rack

ABSTRACT

A storage rack comprises a plurality of stacked supporting ledges each spaced away from each other arranged in pairs on facing sidewalls for receiving plate-type carriers for stored articles. Storage and retrieval of the carriers in the storage rack is provided by means of a transport device. The supporting ledges are a snaked press fit in the sheet metal of the sidewalls and the sidewalls are secured to upright rack stanchions. To define a storage rack ensuring exact positioning of the supporting ledges, it is proposed that the rack stanchions comprise horizontally protruding pegs engaging cavities in the supporting ledges.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a national stage application and claims the priorityof German Application No. 10 2004 042 061.0 filed on Aug. 26, 2004,herein incorporated by reference.

The invention relates to a storage rack comprising a plurality ofstacked supporting ledges each spaced away from each other arranged inpairs on facing sidewalls for receiving plate-shaped carriers for storedarticles, wherein storage and retrieval of the carriers in supportingledges in the storage rack being provided by means of a transportdevice, and wherein the supporting ledges being a snaked press fit inthe sheet metal of the sidewalls and the sidewalls secured to uprightrack stanchions.

Such storage racks are used for automated and space-optimized storageand retrieval of articles differing in height in a storage rack.

Described in EP 0 722 894 A1 is a storage rack comprising two high-bayswith a transport device arranged inbetween. The transport devicecomprises a platform for storage or retrieval of carriers to storagelocations. The platform is moved between an access opening and thestorage locations. The carriers with the stored articles thereon areplaced on the platform at the access opening.

The supporting ledges on which the carriers are guided and supported areintegrated in the sidewalls. The sheet metal sidewalls are formed snakedto form the supporting ledges and welded to the upright stanchions.

Such storage racks are of considerable height. They usually comprise aplurality of sidewall elements with integrated supporting ledges securedto the stanchions of the storage rack by welds. Producing the welds mayresult in the sidewall elements and thus the supporting ledges not beingoptimally aligned, causing problems in pushing in and pulling out thecarrier.

Precisely locating the supporting ledges is, however, vital forautomated carrier access. Lack of precision in positioning thesupporting ledges would result in tilting of the carriers, oftencarrying heavy loads, making carrier storage difficult or evenimpossible.

It is thus an object of the invention to define a storage rack whichensures precise positioning of the supporting ledges.

To achieve this object it is proposed in a generic storage rack that therack stanchions comprise horizontally protruding pegs engaging cavitiesin the supporting ledges.

The invention is based on the gist that for precisely securing thesidewalls to the rack stanchions it is necessary to position thesidewalls at the rack stanchions. In accordance with the invention therack stanchions comprise pegs which protrude from the rack stanchionssuch that they engage snaked cavities in the supporting ledges. The pegscan be precisely positioned at rack stanchions so that when joining thesidewall to the rack stanchions precise positioning of the supportingledges is possible. A further advantage materializes in that due to thehorizontally protruding pegs the load supported by the supporting ledgesis increased as a result of which the carriers can now be devised forhigher loading.

Advantage aspects of the invention read from the sub-claims.

In one advantageous aspect of the invention the pegs comprise an outerdiameter which substantially corresponds to an inner spacing of thesupporting ledges in thus enabling the sidewalls with the integratedsupporting ledges to be simply mounted on the pegs at the rackstanchions for jointing by means of welds to the rack stanchions.

In a further advantageous aspect the pegs are aligned facing each otherin a horizontally plane from facing rack stanchions Thus, simplealignment of the supporting ledges to each other can be realized. Anyhorizontal stagger of facing supporting ledges would result in tiltingof the carriers which could lead to the articles on the carriersslipping out of place. Such a tilting of the carriers is prevented bythe pegs at the rack stanchions.

In another advantageous aspect the pegs are fixed in place by means of apress fit in the rack stanchions. This facilitates applying the pegs tothe rack stanchions. As an alternative the pegs can also be screwed intoa tapping in the rack stanchions.

It is particularly of advantage when the pegs are gunned into the rackstanchions. This makes it necessary to drill holes in correspondingpositions of the rack stanchions having a smaller dimension than theouter diameter of the pegs. The pegs are gunned into the prefabricateddrilled holes, achieving simple fabrication of the rack stanchions withthe pegs.

The invention will now be detailed by way of a preferred embodiment withreference to the attached diagrammatic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a storage rack in accordance with theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a section view through the storage rack as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view on alternative peg shapes.

Referring now to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a racking system accordancewith the invention comprising two facing storage racks 11, 12 spacedaway from each other. Provided between the storage racks 11, 12 is atransport device 13. The transport device 13 comprises a platform 14which is positionable in the storage rack by means of a drive system.The storage racks 11, 12 each comprise sidewalls 11 a, 11 b alignedparallel to each other. The sidewalls 11 a, 11 b consist of a pluralityof elements secured to the upright rack stanchions spaced away from eachother 16 a and 16 b by means of spot welds.

Provided at the face 17 of the storage racks 11 is an access opening 18,featuring supporting arms 19 a, 19 b aligned parallel to each otherprotrude forwards to support a carrier. Storage and retrieval of thecarriers 22 with the storage articles 23 is possible via the accessopening 18.

The carrier 22 comprises handles 27. Provided further is a height sensor26 to determine the height of the storage articles 23 for storage andthus to permit location-optimized storage.

Referring now to FIG. 2 there is illustrated a section view through therack stanchions 16 a arranged at the face of the storage racks 11 andthe sidewalls 11 a, 11 b secured thereto. The sidewalls 11 a, 11 b aremade of sheet metal and comprise snaked press-fitted support ledges 24.Guided and supported by these support ledges 24 are the carriers 22. Thesnaked support ledges 24 form cavities 25 which are aligned outwardlytowards the rack stanchions 16 a, 10 b.

Secured to the rack stanchions 16 a, 16 b are horizontally protrudingpegs 28 on a predefined spacing correspondingly positioned. For thispurpose a press fit is used preferably. For this purpose, holes aredrilled in the rack stanchions 16 a, 16 b into which the correspondinglyprefabricated pegs 28 are gunned. After the pegs 28 have been attachedto the rack stanchions 16 a, 16 b correspondingly positioned, thesidewall 11 a, 11 b is mounted with the integrated support ledges 24 onthe rack stanchions 16 a, 16 b. In this arrangement the cavities 25 ofthe support ledges 24 are located on the pegs so that precisepositioning of the sidewalls 11 a, 11 b at the rack stanchions 16 a, 16b materializes. After the sidewalls 11 a, 11 b are precisely positionedon the peg 28 the sidewall is secured to the rack stanchions 16 a, 16 bby means of spot welds.

Depending on how the support ledges 24 are configured, the pegs 28 maycomprise differing peg cross-sections. Referring now to FIG. 3 there isillustrated a plurality of rack stanchions 16 a with differing pegcross-sections.

The carrier 22 as shown in FIG. 2 is mounted between two facing rackstanchions 16 a, 16 b. The carrier 22 comprises a guide groove 29 in themiddle so that the carrier 22 is guided on two stacked support ledges24. By using two support ledges 24 per side a higher loading capacityfor the carriers 22 is achieved. In addition, the loading capacity forthe carriers 22 is increased by the use of pegs 28 since the supportledges 24 can now handle a higher shear force. Although it is possibleto boost the loading capacity by dimensioning the sidewalls 11 a, 11 bstronger, however, thicker sidewalls would add to the weight of thestorage rack and thus reduce the storage capacity of the storage rack.

Using the additional guide groove 29 permits positioning the carriers 22also at intermediate positions in the storage racks 11, resulting inparticularly space-optimized storage. This particularly effectivestorage requires in turn that the support ledges 24, on which thecarrier 22 is guided, are positioned particularly exactly. This isensured by using the pegs 28 in accordance with the invention, resultingin exact alignment of the support ledges 24.

Accordingly, using the pegs 28 in accordance with the invention ensuresthat the support ledges 24 are positioned as needed in the storage rackwhilst simultaneously attaining increased loading capacity.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

-   -   11 storage rack    -   11 a, b sidewall    -   12 storage rack    -   13 transport device    -   14 platform    -   16 a, b rack stanchion    -   17 face    -   18 access opening    -   19 a, b supporting arms    -   22 carrier    -   23 storage articles    -   24 support ledges    -   25 cavity    -   26 height sensor    -   27 handles    -   28 peg    -   29 guide groove

1. A storage rack comprising a plurality of stacked supporting edgeseach spaced away from each other and arranged in pairs on facingsidewalls for receiving plate-type carriers for stored articles, storageand retrieval of the carriers in supporting ledges in the storage rackbeing provided by means of a transport device, the supporting ledgesbeing a snaked press fit in the sheet metal of the sidewalls and thesidewalls secured to upright rack stanchions, wherein the rackstanchions comprise horizontally protruding pegs engaging cavities inthe supporting ledges.
 2. The storage rack as set forth in claim 1,wherein the pegs comprise an outer diameter which substantiallycorresponds to the inner spacing of the supporting ledges.
 3. Thestorage rack as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pegs are alignedfacing each other in a horizontally plane from facing rack stanchions.4. The storage rack as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pegs are fixedin place by means of a press fit in the rack stanchions.
 5. The storagerack as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pegs can also be screwed intoa tapping in the rack stanchions.
 6. The storage rack as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the pegs are gunned into the rack stanchions.